KIDS, CAVES AND CRUISING IN KAYIN STATE

These kids were very shy...as in, climbed up onto our motorbike to have pictures taken with us.

Happy kids, they're ridiculously contagious. No matter where you are, a group of smiling, giggling kids will light up your day, especially when they're giving you hugs, kisses, and hi-fives for no good reason whatsoever. 

Once Liz found the puppies, the boat ride was forgotten. The
bus was almost forgotten too until Kip pulled her away.

It all began with a broken down ferry. We really wanted to take a boat trip up the Thanlwin River from Moulmein, where Rudyard Kipling visited and composed some prose. Unfortunately, the ferry that the guide book said made the trip is out of service. Permanently.

But who needs boats when you have a bus station (read: empty lot) complete with puppies and local women selling all kinds of snacks from baskets on their heads. Plus, monks take the bus, so it must be good.

A Burmese woman sells fruit from the basket balanced          

           on her head.

After a short two hour ride through parts of the beautiful countryside of the Mon and Kayin States, we arrived at Hpa An (pronounced: Puh Ahn). We had almost forgotten we were in a country where the government demands extreme, totalitarian control of its citizens, until we came upon an English translation of a billboard we had seen in several places (see below).

A multi-lingual billboard that explains the goals
of the Myanmar government. 

Seeing as how we had no intentions of disintegrating the union, or national solidarity (at least for the moment...we had just arrived, after all) we decided to see some of the sights around the area, of which there are more than two. 

And, since we missed out on our scenic ferry ride, we were lucky enough to find a willing boat driver to take us out for a three hour tour on the river, past river villages and many pagodas best viewed from the water. 

View from the river of one of the many golden stupa topped islands.

With our river cruise behind us (gladly, as our boat turned into a sieve halfway through) we opted to explore the countryside on a motorbike, one of our favorite things.  We are glad we took advantage, since the government recently restricted motorcycle use by foreigners in most areas of the country due to "safety concerns."

We may have gotten lost a few times on the back roads, but there were always plenty of villagers who, though they spoke no English, pointed us in the right direction. Kip even tried to ask this new baby goat for directions, but couldn't get a straight aah-aah-aah-answer.

At last we arrived at the Kaw-goon Cave, one of many limestone caves in the area that are religious sites. This cave, with statues and carvings dating back to the 13th century  has its own monastery, koi pond, and numerous Buddha statues.

Kip gets a closer look at the intricate wall carvings of Kaw-goon Cave.

As we set off for another one of the area's caves, we spotted the tip of the gravity defying Kyauk Kalap pagoda above the trees. As impressive as it was from afar, it was even more so up close, enhanced by the groups of brightly colored monks that were laughing in a group at the beginning of the bridge. 

Monks cross the bridge over the lake to their island monastery.

And, to make this temple even more amazing, was our welcoming committee of local kids in traditional Kayin dress. We got lots of hi-fives, and were even asked to pose for a few photos. We chatted for a while, and Liz impressed them with her ever growing knowledge of Burmese (about 5 phrases), which they found hilarious. 

Kip poses with this awesome group of fun kids.

They sent us off with hugs, kisses (for Liz), and more hi-fives. What can we say, we love this place. 

PHOTO FRIDAY: FARMERS PADDLING TO MARKET

Two female farmers paddle their harvest to one of the many daily markets located along the shores of Inle Lake in Myanmar.  We've seen hundreds of these boats on our trips out on the lake. Many are so loaded down with vegetables/fruit/rice/kids that the middle of the boat is often under water. This results in some lucky passenger squatting in the center bailing furiously with a small pail or their hands. 

These two ladies, however, clearly have their boat buoyancy under control. 

WORLD'S LARGEST, STRANGEST RECLINING BUDDHA

Looking like a flea on the great Buddha's shoulder, Kip (see blue arrow) peers from a trap door we found.

Why more tourists don't come check out what must be the world's largest--and strangest--reclining Buddha, we'll never know. At nearly 600-ft long and ten stories high, Zina-thu-kha Yan Aung Chan-tha is an architectural marvel by itself. Yet, it's what's inside and surrounding the super-sized statue that should shift it to the top of anyone's must see list for Myanmar.

More akin to a 50-acre Buddhist Disneyland than a solemn place of worship, "Buddha's Playground" can be difficult to describe. Hopefully, the following photos will help.

Lining the entrance to the Park, some 200 stone monks, begging bowls in hand, march solemnly toward the big Buddha. 

The line of saffron-robed men stretches for more than a kilometer, crossing over the road by elevated bridge, heading through a wooded area and finally disappearing over a small hill.

Once beyond the monks the main attraction comes into view, dwarfing everything around it, including homes, store fronts, the surrounding hills and more than 100 temples, pagodas and other shrines built nearby.
Above, that's Kip on the scooter heading toward the Buddha. A basketball court could almost fit on one of the statue's unpainted feet. A pedicure must cost a small fortune.

The 60-ft high seated monk above with bright pink lips is more a diversion than a focal point, though the scaffolding encircling his bald head gives him the appearance of the horror film character Pinhead, only somewhat less menacing.

In addition to strange outdoor statues, the Park even features its own water slide and swimming area at the base of the Reclining Buddha (left). Boys and girls, all fully dressed, raced up and down the five slides during our visit. 

Once inside the cavernous statue, things get truly interesting. More an unfinished construction project than a place of reverence, there's little in the entire statue that's 100 percent finished. The smell of wet concrete, sawdust and paint follow you every step. 

Below left, Liz poses inside one of the Buddha's concrete toes, which, like many other parts of the statue, awaits finishing touches. 

Below right, a boy puts a primer coat of paint on a statue that will fill one of the 182 rooms inside the Buddha. 

In addition to the traditional depictions of the Lord Buddha's enlightenment, you'll see so much more. 

We found life-size images of ancient sea creatures flying through the air, of bull elephants stomping bleeding men, of harems of topless women servicing a prince, and of the devil himself (at left) either pouring glowing coals on suffering victims or helping warm up a clothing-optional jacuzzi.

In addition to the oddities, you will find beauty, as well. 

Below, thousands of miniature Buddha statues covered in dust wait for their turn to decorate a nearby wall or ceiling.

If you can find a window or hidden passageway, get yourself outside the Buddha, where the views are spectacular. 

Above, the vista from the Buddha's shoulder, looking down at the water slide and across to a construction area, then Pinhead to the right, backed by a small lake and beyond that miles of greenery.

Though the Buddha Park remains a work in progress, it's one of the most fascinating man-made attractions we've seen in Asia. 

So if you find yourself in Myanmar with a bit of time and are looking for an off-the beaten track adventure, go check it out. 

Our bet is you'll be glad you did. 

(The Buddha Park is located 20 km south of Mawlmine, Myanmar) 

JOURNEY TO THE GOLDEN ROCK

Liz and Kip seeing the sights of Bago in their stylish ponchos.

While the headline may sound like a title for the next Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson movie, don't worry. It's not. But our journey to see Myanmar's famous Golden Rock at Mount Kyaiktiyo did get a little Hollywood crazy--complete with giant pythons, torrential storms, ancient temples and, thanks to yet another Kip-caused delay, a chase scene that would've made Jason Bourne proud.

Traveling to one of the country's most important Buddhist pilgrimage sites isn't easy, but we were willing to do whatever it took to see the famed Golden Rock. First, though, we had to get there.

The Rock (the site, not the actor) isn't exactly on the way to anywhere, so we hopped a local bus four hours east of Yangon to the town of Bago. We intended to stop in Bago for the night, but due to the terrible shape of the hotels and constant pouring rain, we decided to have lunch and review our options. During our meal, we were harassed helped by an entrepreneurial moto driver who guaranteed he and a buddy could deliver us safely through the downpour and get us to "all" the sights in town in under an hour to catch the next bus out. Done.

First stop: The Snake Monastery
Since we are in Burma, our trip wouldn't be complete without getting up close and personal with a Burmese Python, possibly the world's largest snake. So when we learned there was an 18-foot monster nearby that was supposedly the reincarnation of a long-dead monk, we had to drop by. The massive snake, which has a handler that stays with it at all times, lives in its own personal monastery, complete with a bedroom and swimming pool, as well as worshipers who come by to pray and leave money with the holy reptile daily. If only his holiness had slithered around a bit while we were there, the visit would've been so much cooler. 

HUGE Burmese Python, which is actually a reincarnated monk. People bring it offerings of cash, which look incredibly small on its massive body. These are not miniature bills, but are the size of a U.S. dollar.

Kip does his best one-legged chicken impersonation.

Next Stop: Drenched, we raced toward yet another pagoda and an ornate building (left) that our energetic tour guide couldn't identify, despite a huge sign posted out front. Near the sign was a large golden chicken statue, which Kip decided to imitate quite pathetically. The guides at least laughed.

With that, we were informed that we had seen the best Bago had to offer, and so our next stop was the bus station. Amazingly, the bus actually departed five minutes early. Which would've been so great, except it must have pulled away while Kip was mid funky chicken. 

Undeterred, our fearless guide decided we would chase the long-gone bus through the downpour until it pulled over to let us on. That's exactly what happened--through insane traffic and pouring rain. Around rivers of water. Dodging falling cats and dogs. Until he found and loaded us onto the bus. Impressive. 

Liz racing through traffic after the bus.

So, with a hair-raising chase complete and the (two) sights of Bago behind us, we headed toward the much-lauded Mt. Kyaiktiyo. 

To make a short story much longer, it turns out there's no direct bus service to the Rock during the rainy season, so we only made it a few hours from Bago, before hiring two motorcycle taxis for a 30-minute drive to the town of Kimpun.

It was on this motorcycle drive that Liz caught her first glimpse of the famed holy shrine. Yet when she saw it, she was sure this couldn't be it. It appeared so much smaller than in the previous photos we'd seen.

Yes, that tiny speck of gold is "The Rock."

To see Liz's actual view, check the photo at left. See that small speck of yellow on that hillside? Was that really what we took three taxis, two buses, and almost eight hours to see?

Turns out that yes, that was it. 

No matter. We refused to be disappointed since we had planned to splurge on one of the nice hotels on the mountaintop near the Rock so we could view it at night and catch the sunrise as well. 

With that in mind, we raced to the bottom of the road where you catch the pick up trucks to take you up the mountain. And when we arrived...you guessed it--we were told the last pickup pulled out about 10 minutes ago. Lovely. 

But there's a happy ending. On our way to look for a place to spend the night, we met a precocious young man whose family owned a nearby guesthouse. As we followed him toward the hotel, he told Liz talked about their favorite singers. One of his favorite songs was "Uptown Girl" by Billy Joel. With that, Liz confirmed our reservation at the unseen hotel, and together they walked down the empty street singing a duet that would've made even the Piano Man himself smile. 

Well rested, we walk down the following morning to take the mountain "pick up truck ," which is actually a rusty dump truck with 2x4's spread across the back for seating. The truck took us halfway up, and we hiked the remaining 45 minutes to the top. Tired and wet, we finally received our reward. 

Shrouded in a morning mist, the shrine was truly stunning. The Rock itself is precariously balanced atop another rock, giving the appearance that it could topple over at any moment. It's coated in pure gold, placed there sheet by tiny sheet over decades by pilgrims coming to worship at the shrine. 

Though it was a marathon journey to get here, we'd do it again. Next time, though, we'd skip the rain, the chase scene, and having to watch Kip's funky chicken. Otherwise, we wouldn't change a thing.

Kip tests the structural integrity of the shrine.

Liz wanted to help Kip push, but ladies are not allowed near the shrine. 

Workers clean the steps to the top with wire brushes. As with all Buddhist shrines, no shoes are allowed, so we
were happy to have the cleaning crew.

PHOTO FRIDAY: MILLION KYAT SMILE

An elated Shan woman greets us at a market in the Shan state, Myanmar.

As we've said before, we love markets. Lucky for us, there are plenty of them in Myanmar for us to mill around in (or for Kip to wait while his wife mills or whatever).

In Shan State, women trek miles across mountain trails each week for market day, carrying atop their heads bulging baskets and plastic bags with everything from firewood to vegetables to water buffaloes and elephants carved from local teak. The woman pictured above, who spoke no English but loved to have her photo taken, wears her village's traditional clothing complete with brightly colored terrycloth head scarf.

While her "million kyat smile" didn't quite cost us that many kyat (the local currency, pronounced "chat"), the lady did convince us that we (or more accurately, Kip) needed a few of the wood carved animals she had for sale.